OOHLALA, a mobile platform designed to help streamline college life, has implemented a new survey tool that helps campuses gather real-time feedback on student experiences and engagement.

With student engagement being a core component to retention and academic success, collecting actionable data that can better inform student affairs programming will be critical. According to OOHLALA, response rates on student engagement surveys have historically hovered below the 30% mark, but pilots of the company’s new assessment tool have more than doubled that rate, capturing data from 70-90% of students using the mobile platform.

On the admin side, data from OOHLALA’s student surveys and assessments automatically populate reports and dashboards, which can then be used by university administrators to track performance over time and make adjustments to future academic programming.

“Student engagement and participation in campus events often present a black box for administrators,” says Eddie Howard, Associate Vice President, Division of Student Experience at Youngstown State University. “Since we launched OOHLALA’s assessment tool, thousands of students are sharing thoughts about their experiences with everything from orientation to dining options and academic coaching — but more importantly, we’re able to translate real-time feedback into insights that enable us to improve the student experience.”

The app’s assessment feature generates a unique QR code for every campus event — orientation, financial aid open houses, career workshops, and more. Students then present their QR codes to be scanned using via their campus mobile app. After the event, the platform sends a targeted push notification to the student prompting them to evaluate their experience and provide feedback. The tool also enables students to assess out-of-class services, enabling administrators to track and measure the impact of services like academic advising, career services and financial aid offices.

OOHLALA uses machine learning, customizable alerts, GPS technology and self-regulation tools to underpin its mobile platform. The app also integrates with an institution’s existing learning management system and student information system to better provide access to resources like courses and assignments, career workshops and campus support services.